Organisms and Their Environment

Flashcards focusing on key vocabulary and concepts from the chapter on organisms and their environment.

Energy Flow

The movement of energy through an ecosystem, primarily from producers to consumers and decomposers.

Producers

Organisms that synthesize their own food, typically through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food chain.

Consumers

Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms; classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers.

Decomposers

Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi that break down dead organic matter and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Food Chain

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass, starting from a producer.

Food Web

A complex network of multiple food chains interlinked at various trophic levels in an ecosystem.

Trophic Level

A specific level in a food chain or food web, representing the position of an organism in the transfer of energy.

Carbon Sink

Natural environments, such as forests or oceans, that absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants absorb carbon dioxide and sunlight to produce carbohydrates and oxygen.

Global Warming

The long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to human activities and greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Change

Long-term alterations in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other elements of the climate system.

Greenhouse Effect

The trapping of the sun's warmth in the planet's lower atmosphere due to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.

Deforestation

The clearing of forests, which results in loss of biodiversity and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Biomass Pyramid

A graphical representation showing the biomass at each trophic level in an ecosystem.

Pyramid of Numbers

A graphical representation depicting the number of organisms at each trophic level in an ecosystem.